A nation so divided !

There was some hope for Sri Lanka when the majority within the parliament came together to move a no-confidence motion against the Sirisena-Rajapaksa Government. But togetherness seems to have been temporary with both the TNA and the JVP making it clear that they wish to be no part of a broad alliance that the UNP wishes to form in the future.

Jute is now decidedly upmarket It was a poor man’s fabric in the past

Typically associated with the crude ‘gunny bag’ used in the bazaars of the Indian sub-continent, jute is now very much up-market with an amazing variety of fashionable products being turned out from the fiber. This was evident at

‘King Charles I’ and the Speaker in 1642 Karu J. attempts to re-enact it

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, who was parachuted, didn’t make it the hard way; he took to politics only at fifty five when Ranil invited him to become the Chairman of the Grand old Party.

Standing Orders and the confusion in Parliament

Were the No-Confidence Motions (NCMs) passed in Parliament? Was the Government of the Prime Minister dissolved on November 14 or 16? These are questions in the minds of many people.

Nationalism is betrayal of patriotism - EDITORIAL

In recent years sweeping the world is a wave or highest grade hurricane of populism and extremism, nationalism or a lack of respect for minority races and religions a vice that prevents the fundamental principle of unity in diversity.  

Power of the Speaker in the midst of a constitutional war

Last month marked an unprecedented constitutional war between the Legislature and the Executive branches of Sri Lanka. It was a war of interpretation of the Constitution on one hand, in which many layers....

Cambodian-UN war crimes trials finally over

Finally, finally, the over-long, 10-year trials of the leaders of the murderous Khmer Rouge leadership of Cambodia are over. The two defendants, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, were each given a life sentence at the end of the first trial in August 2015 for crimes against humanity. Last week, they were convicted of genocide.   

Power of storytelling to create change

It is the show of shows and the greatest show on earth. On Wednesday, November 21, the United Nations marked World Television Day. In a statement, the world body says that news footage direct from the latest humanitarian crisis; documentaries putting a human face to crucial issues of our time — human rights, peace, security and development; live coverage of the UN Security Council as it responds to global crises, and of the annual General A

‘Arab Springs’ and Sri Lankan ‘winters’ - EDITORIAL

There is much talk about Sri Lanka succumbing to the efforts of the Western powers aimed at creating an ‘Arabian Spring’ like revolution in Sri Lanka.  The Sri Lanka Freedom Party....

Checks and balances: Lanka’s Magna Carta moment

On a positive note, the current political crisis in Sri Lanka can be the country’s Magna Carta moment to chart a course to the pinnacle of democracy. The developments since President Maithripala Sirisena...

UNP has promising ‘young’ members

In the wake of the constitutional crisis following the sudden, wrongful and unceremonious sacking of the Prime Minister and what flowed thereafter, the question posed by many is; has the UNP lost the plot again?

Elections and nothing less for a “breather”

Last Monday 19 November, Parliament was adjourned to meet again today – Friday 23 November. The cost of allowing these utterly destructive, indecent meetings since Wednesday 14 November is a colossal waste of public funds.

A power struggle that does not involve people’s interests

It is interesting to note that the conflict between President Maithripala Sirisena and the ousted Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe over the latter’s purported hesitance to take action on....

On the dimensions of Colombo-phobia

A friend of mine, who suggested on Facebook that democracy touting Colombo 7 liberals have been calling Maithripala Sirisena a gamarala and a gramasevaka, got the following reply from an irate Colombo citizen....

Sri Lanka has successfully turned to biological control

Sri Lanka is a country with a population of over 21 million. Being an agricultural country, crop yields have a huge impact on the economy, social well-being and the livelihoods of people.

The question of sovereignty

In certain circles, political debate has been reduced to whether or not the Prime Minister is legitimate. Some argue that Ranil Wickremesinghe’s ouster was illegal and therefore the issue of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s legitimacy is resolved by that very fact.   

Women and girls, fight for your rights

For thousands of years, one of the world’s gravest crimes or scandals has been violence or discrimination against women especially those who are not well educated and come from what are thought to be mythical low classes of society. On Sunday, November 25 the United Nations marks the International Day for the Elimination of 

Time to reform our lawmakers!

It’s time that the school authorities stopped inviting politicians for their functions because the country’s lawmakers have shown through their actions that they care less about the next generation.

Brawl in parliament; Lawmakers turned lawbreakers

As a mother and grandmother, I wholeheartedly condemn the behaviour of the parliamentarians responsible for the thuggery witnessed in Parliament recently. I am at the end of my life, but I shudder in dread for my children and grandchildren if this is how the representatives of the people behave. This was undoubtedly the very worst 

Hard time for Government

When sanity prevailed among legislators last Friday (November 16), most people assumed that the dust had settled and  the country would wriggle out of the current imbroglio. Actually, it looked calm only in the relative sense.  In absolute sense, the crisis is still simmering, but manifesting in different forms, unlike the rowdy scenes 

Naked Foreign Intervention into SL’s Domestic Affairs

Sri Lankans have been experiencing unprecedented turmoil regarding the legislative, executive and judicial functions for a few weeks now. The immediate root-cause of this crisis is the removal of the former Prime Minister and appointment of a new one by the President in exercising his constitutional powers under the constitution.

The message is the medium here

As Sri Lanka’s made-by-politicians political imbroglio entered its fourth week with no end in sight, the UNP suddenly decided to write to Mark Zuckerberg, the head at Facebook.   

Make Karu Jayasuriya PM to resolve constitutional impasse Call the Opposition’s bluff

There is no serious negotiation under way. When the country’s constitution is being so seriously questioned, when the animal-like instincts and uncouth character of its political life are being portrayed in public to the whole wide world, when those who have been elected to political office, except one solitary man, are acting like the 

TO SERVE OR BE SERVED

Our country stands on the brink of adversity, power hungry politicians have destroyed democracy and the highest in the land has descended to lower than the lowest!!! Nothing is worse than allowing a persona non grata to enter the place of power; because they use the power to empower themselves, they say they are trying to 

Compromise, the need of the hour

The country has been fast drifting towards further turmoil days ago due to irresponsible and power hungry politicians. It is not clear whether the situation has changed despite Monday’s Parliament sitting ending without riots.  

politicians be cautious; children are watching

With the unprecedented Constitutional crisis and the political turmoil in Sri Lanka moving into its fourth week our political leaders need to be aware that what they do or fail to do would have disastrous effects more on the new and next generation than the present one.    

President should use his new clout to end the crisis

Sri Lanka’s leaders of all political hues are not necessarily the champions of liberal democracy. Nor are the country’s elections, which are regularly held, but generally tainted by misappropriation of state property, free and fair in a genuine sense. However, outcome of elections was often the reflection of the overall popular mood.

West’s concern and the Speaker’s U-turn

Although recent developments have made it near-impossible to anticipate the changing political landscape from one day to the next, there are some aspects of Sri Lanka’s ongoing parliamentary/ constitutional saga that have come into sharp focus. One is the unusual ‘concern’ shown by the West in what is a purely internal issue for Sri Lanka. Another is the extraordinary trajectory of the Speaker’s behaviour since the onset&n

Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga Her other name is hope

Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga is very much in the news these days and even received an invitation to attend the swearing in ceremony of Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, in Male, Maldives.   

Sanity should prevail in the House - EDITORIAL

The ugly brawl in parliament on November 16, following the brawl the previous day, where legislators attacked the Speaker with bottles of water, waste-paper baskets and all manner of verbal abuse degenerated...